Words have power: Read a banned book

Share your favorite banned book on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with #BannedBooks and #OPPL from September 24 to 30.

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and highlighting the value of free and open access to information. By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, it also draws national attention to the harms of censorship.

Efforts join the entire book community—librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types—in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.

To explore the issues and controversies around book challenges and book banning, check out the links on this page to frequently challenged books lists.

Library staff stand up for the right to read

"The banned book that had the most profound impact on me was Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls, and I'm not just saying that because I work in Oak Park. I read it at a time when I was fascinated by the Spanish Civil War, its underlying issues, and the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. For Whom the Bell Tolls taught me that fiction could be an even more effective tool than nonfiction in conveying deeply-held political beliefs and their complications. I still get choked up (spoiler alert) when I think of the ending with Robert Jordan there on that mountainside, waiting." — Materials Services Librarian Bleue J. Benton

"During most of my middle school/elementary years, I lived abroad in Denmark. During this time period, I only came back home to the United States during the summer to visit my Dad. So I was the kid unfamiliar with many popular U.S. toys and TV shows during that time. But I was gifted A Wrinkle in Time one summer, and I fell in love with it. It helped me feel connected to my U.S. friends. I devoured the rest of the series that summer. I can't wait for the upcoming movie adaptation." — Readers' Advisory Librarian Margita Lidaka

"When The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 was published, it won a slew of awards including Best Book for Young Adults, Newbery Honor Book, and the Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book. It is a laugh-out-loud book, with wonderfully written characters. It’s a book I have recommended many times. It’s no wonder that it has been challenged, likely by parents who do not want the true history of the violent oppression of African-Americans to be told to their children. After all the laughter in the book, the story concludes with a vivid and memorable slice of 1963 U.S. history that takes place in Birmingham, Alabama." — Jim Madigan, Deputy Director

Challenged books lists

The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been targeted with removal or restrictions in libraries and schools. While books have been and continue to be banned, part of the Banned Books Week celebration is the fact that, in a majority of cases, the books have remained available. This happens only thanks to the efforts of librarians, teachers, students, and community members who stand up and speak out for the freedom to read.

Our Voices

Equitable Access. All library patrons should be able to find content in their local libraries that reflect their own lives.

Diversity. We recognize all diverse experiences, including (but not limited to) people of color, in the LGBTQIA community, who are differently abled, and/or who are in an ethnic, cultural, and/or religious minority.

Quality. We look for content that reflects intention, craft, and objective review.

Sustainability. Our Voices is meant to be self-sustaining, an ongoing effort effecting a permanent change in the landscape of publishing and librarianship.

Preservation. The content of Our Voices should be maintained for future readers and researchers. We will seek to find a persistent digital repository.

More...

What is the difference between a challenge or banning? A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others. Due to the commitment of librarians, teachers, parents, students and other concerned citizens, most challenges are unsuccessful and most materials are retained in the school curriculum or library collection.

Why are books challenged? Books usually are challenged with the best intentions—to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information. Censorship can be subtle, almost imperceptible, as well as blatant and overt, but, nonetheless, harmful. See notable First Amendment cases >